Derrick



No. 753,237. PATENTED MAR. 1, 1904.

0. R. B. GLAPLIN.

DERRICK.

APPLIGATION FILED MAY 1l, 1903. N0 MODEL. v 2 BHEETQ-BHBB']: l.

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VPATENTED MAR. 1, 1904.

0. R. B. GLAFLI N.

DERRICK. APPLICATION FILED MAY 11,1903.

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Patented March 1, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES R. B. CLAFLIN, WINTHRQP, MASSACHUSETTS.

DERRICK.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 753,237, dated March 1, 1904.

Application filed May 11, 1903. Serial No- 156,589. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES R. B. OLAELIN, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Winthrop,in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Derricks, of which the following isa specification.

My invention relates to derricks such as are used in drilling oil-wells and the like, and is intended to provide an improved knockdown derrick which without sacrificing strength or rigidity may be made of less material and may be set up and taken down more quickly and easily than the derricks of this class heretofore employed. To this end I make my clerrick triangular, as distinguished from the four-sided derricks heretofore employed, and I so construct and combine its parts that no diagonal braces of any kind are required, thereby efi'ecting a great saving in material and in the labor required for setting up and taking down the derrick. It is desirablefor certain reasons to construct a wooden base at the placewhere such a derrick is to be set up and to support upon this base a steel superstructure, and my invention includes a novel construction of base which embodies the best mechanical principles of bracing against the strains developed and is especially adapted for use in connection with the triangular superstructure hereinafter described.

My derrick as preferably constructed is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of the complete derrick. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the base with the floor omitted. Fig. 3 is a section on the line AA in Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a perspective view, on an enlarged scale, of a clamp-joint hereinafter described. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line B B in Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line C C in Fig. 5, and Fig. 7 is a detail view illustrating the operation of setting up the derrick.

The base of the derrick illustrated in the drawings comprises the usual sills 2 2 and floor 3.. Upon the sills 2, near one end thereof, are mounted two uprights 4 4, which are inclined at an angle corresponding to the taper of the superstructure and are connected near cent ends of two of the sections 11.

their upper ends by cross-pieces 5. Theuprights 4 4 are also preferably connected with their respective sills, near the opposite ends of 1 the latter, by. inclined braces 6..

7 7 represent two slanting uprights which are supported upon the sills at a suitable distance from the uprights 4 and are connected I at their tops by a. short cross-piece 8, thus forming a substantially triangular frame, and

this frame is braced and held in position by horizontal braces 9, connecting the uprights 1 7 with the uprights t near their upper ends.

The top of the base being composed of the pieces 5 8 and 9 9, thus has a substantially triangular shape and is adapted to supportthe three columns of the triangular superstructure and to this end is provided with three sockets 10, one of which rests upon and is secured to the upper end of each upright A,

while the other rests upon and is secured to the cross-piece 8.

-' The three columns of the superstructure are each composed of a number of similar sections 11, which are usually made of steel tubing. The adjacent ends of these sections are detachably secured together and properly braced by means of suitable connecting devices carried by horizontal cross-braces 12,'each setof crossbraces therefore forming a triangle, as illustrated in Fig. 3. My preferred form of. clamp, by means of which the adjacent ends of the sections 11 are secured together and to the corresponding cross-braces, is shown in detail in Figs. 4, 5, and6 and is formed in two parts or halves 13. Each half-clamp 13 is rigidly secured to one end of one of the cross-braces 12, preferably by-brazing the end of the latter into a socket 1 formed integral with the half-clamp. Each cross-brace 12 is therefore provided at each end with a half-clamp, and the half-clamps are so formed that when two of them are brought together they forma cylindrical socket adapted to embrace the adja- The halfclamps are also provided with means for detachably' securing them together, such as clamping-bolts 15, passing through lugs 16 and provided with nuts 17 a pair of lugs 16 being provided near each end of each halfclamp. On the inside of each half clamp about midway between its ends I prefer to provide a headed stud 18 for a purpose hereinafter described.

The lower end of each section 11 (except the bottom ones) is supported when the derrickis set up by the upper end of the section 11 next below it and is provided with notches 19,

adapted to receive the shanks of the headed studs 18, thus permitting the adjacent ends of the sections to come together with the upper section resting directly upon the lower section and also securing the perfect alinement of the sections. In order to reinforce the ends of the sections 11 to preserve their shape and to exclude moisture from the interior thereof, I prefer to insert into each end of each of the sections a cup 20, the walls of which point outward and fit tightly against the surrounding tubular walls of the section. This provides a recess of sufficient depth for receiving the heads of the studs 18, which are made to extend beyond and hook over the flanges of the cup-20, and these studs 18 and the notches 19 are preferably so formed that they will fit together, and the heads of the studs will engage the side of the cup 20 with somewhat of a wedging action, so that there will be no chance for play between the parts when assembled.

In assembling the derrick the wooden base is first constructed and provided with the sockets 10, and an upright section 1 1 is then placed within each socket 10. The first set of crossbraces 12 is then secured to the upper ends of these three sections 11 by hooking the headed studs 18, carried by the ends of the respective cross-braces, over the upper edges of said sections. The first set of cross-braces is thus sup- 7 ported and held in position independently of process is continued until the whole superstructure has been set up, whereupon the nuts 17 are tightened and the derrick is complete.

By virtue of the wedging action of the headed studs 18 and the notches 19 the parts of the derrick will be kept in proper relation and held together with such firmness and rigidity that the derrick will be serviceable and will be understood that in setting up the superstructure temporary platforms are laid on each set of cross-braces as fast as they are secured in place, and to facilitate the lifting of the various sections into place a gooseneck-crane 21 4 (shown in Fig. 7) may be temporarily inserted into the socket formed by the upper ends of any pair of half-clamps,,in which socket it will of course turn freely.

The derrick when complete is surmounted by the usual block 22, carrying the pulley 23.

I consider that an important feature of my invention resides in forming each of the clamps or connecting devices in two halves each of which is secured to one'end of one of the crossbraces, so that each cross-brace carries one of said halves at each end, and this construction may evidently be embodied in various modified forms withoutdeparting from my invention and may be employed in derricks having more than three sides, if desired. It will be noted that thedescribed construction eliminates all screw-threaded connections between the sections 11 and 12 and the clamping-sockets, and I thus avoid weakening these sections by cutting threads therein, and I also get rid of the difficulties heretofore encountered in taking apart rusted joints. This construction, in connection with the triangular arrangement of the sec tions, also enables me to dispense with the diagonal braces which have heretofore been necessary. I also consider the'construction of base herein shown and described to form one of the features of my invention, because by reason of its triangular construction it may be made very light without sacificing rigidity and because the open triangles formed by the pieces 5, 6, 7, and 9 permit the passing of the drilling-tools up through the base and into the superstructure with less difficulty than has heretofore been encountered. The large triangle formed by the uprights 7 and crosspiece 8 provides an ample space for the oper ation of the walking-beam 24, and the bullwheel 25 is located between the uprights 4; in the usual manner.

I claim as my invention 1. In a knockdown derrick, the combination with upright sections, of cross-braces each having a half-clamp secured to each of its ends,each pair ofhalf-clamps being formed to fit the adjacent ends of two upright sections and detachably secure them together.

2. In a knockdown derrick, a set of crossbraces each provided at each end with a half clamp, each pair of half-clamps forming together a socket adapted to receive the adjacent ends of two upright sections and being provided with means for detachably securing them together.

3. In a knockdown derrick, a clamp comprising two halves and means for detachably securing them together, each of the halfclamps being provided with a socket extending therefrom at an angle to the meeting faces of said half-clamps.

4. In a knockdown derrick, a clamp composed of two similar halves, each provided with a socket and with an inwardly-projecting headed stud, and means for detachably securing said half-clamps together.

5. In a knockdown derrick, the combination with a hollow upright section, of cups inserted into the ends thereof and forming closures for the same.

6. In a knockdown derrick, a base comprising sills, uprights 4 4 and cross-pieces 5, in combination with slanting uprights 7, cross- -piece 8 and braces 9, forming a series of triangles, substantially as described.

7. In a knockdown derrick, abase comprising sills, uprights 4:4, cross-pieces 5 and braces 6, in combination with slanting uprights 7 cross-piece 8 and braces 9, forming a series of triangles, substantially as described.

composed of two halves and each of said halves being secured to one end of one of said crossbraces.

10. In a knockdown derrick, the combination with upright sections provided respectively with notches, of cross-braces each carrying one or more headed studs, each of said studs being formed to enter one of said notches and to hook over the wall of a section.

'11. In a knockdown derrick, the combination with upright sections, each provided at its lower end with notches, of cross-braces each adapted to hook over the having a half-clamp secured to each of its ends, and a headed stud carried by each half-clamp, and formed to fit one of the notches and to hook over the wall of the section next below it.

12. In a knockdown derrick, the combination of upright sections, the lower end of each section resting directly upon the upper end of the section next below, connecting devices each comprising two half-clamps which form a socket embracing the meeting ends of adjacent sections and provided with means for detachably securing said half-clamps together, and cross-braces each connected at each end to one of said half-clamps. a

13. In a knockdown derrick, the combination of upright sections adapted to rest one upon another, one end of each section being provided with notches, two half-clamps surrounding the meeting ends of each pair of sections and provided with headed studs passing through said notches and hooking over the walls of said sections, cross-braces secured to said half-clamps, and means for detachably securing each pair of half-clamps together.

14. In a knockdown derrick, the combination of upright sections 11, each provided near its ends with cups 20, sets of cross-braces each having at each end a half-clamp provided with an inwardly-projecting headed stud which is walls of the corresponding upright section and its contained cup, and means for detachably securing the half-clamps of each pair together.

15. In a knockdown derrick, the combination of a base having a rectangular bottom and a substantially triangular top supported at a distance above said bottom, and a triangular superstructure supported on the triangular top of said base.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name this 5th day of May, 1903.

CHARLES R. B. CLAFLIN.

Witnesses:

E. D. CHADWIGK, Josnrn T.BRENNAN. 

